Manipulating member for socket wrench



Feb. 22, 1949. L, DECK 2,462,729

MANIPULATING MEMBER FOR SOCKE' I WRENCHES Filed Jan. 11, 1946 IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEM Patented Feb. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NIANIPULATING MEMBER FOR SOCKET WRENCH 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to socket wrenches and more particularly to an attachment therefor in the form of a manipulating member.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a manipulating member for a socket wrench to enable the socket engaging portion of the wrench to be manually manipulated by the fingers of the user.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a manipulating attachment for a socket wrench which may be removably afifixed to the said socket engaging portion of the wrench.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a socket wrench incorporating a disclike manipulating member by means of which forefinger and thumb of the user may be employed to rotate the socket engaging portion of the wrench.

It is well known that many forms of socket wrenches have been devised and are commonly employed by mechanics and others in various machine assembly and repair work. Particular reference is bad to automobile repairing wherein the socket wrenches are commonly used for manipulating bolts and nuts as in placing the same or removing the same from various portions of the automobile. The present invention relates to an attachment for a socket wrench and is so employed as to provide the socket engaging portion of the wrench with a knurled disc which is readily engaged between the thumb and forefinger of the users hand holding the wrench.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of What is claimed Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan View of a socket wrench showing the manipulating member affixed thereto.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the socket wrench taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional detail of the socket wrench taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

By referring to the drawings and Figures 1 and 2 in particular, it will be seen that a conventional socket wrench such as a snap-on wrench has been illustrated, the handle portion thereof being indicated by the numera1 I and the ratchet mm 2 tion thereof being indicated by the numeral -I I. A control lever for shifting the ratchet from left to right is indicated by the numeral I2 in Figure 2 and the socket engaging portion of the wrench is indicated by-the numeral I3.

By referring now to Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings, it will be observed that the socket engaging portion I3 of the wrench is normally square in cross section and is slightly longer than those customarily supplied with the conventional wrench. It is provided with a plurality of indentations on its corners, as indicated by the numerals M, and these serve to position a split clamp ring 15 thereabout which in turn holds a manipulating disc IS in position on the socket engaging portion I3 of the wrench. The interior of the manipulating disc IE is of the same shape as the engaging portion I3 of the Wrench. The split clamp ring l5 lies adjacent the disc I6 and in a recess HA formed therein. The periphery of the manipulating disc I6 is knurled, as indicated at I1, so that it can be readily turned by the thumb and forefinger of the hand holding the wrench. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the conventional snap-on wrench is provided with a slightly shorter socket engaging portion I3 than that illustrated and it is therefore evident that a replacement portion of sufficient length to enable the application of the manipulating disc I6 thereto is also provided. The attachment to the conventional wrench therefore consists of a replacement socket engaging portion I3, the edge portions of which are indented as at I4 to permit the installation of the clamping ring I5 and thereby hold the manipulating disc I6 in position thereon. The manipulating disc I 6 will not move inwardly as it is positioned immediately adjacent a flat face IQ of the ratchet containing mechanism II of the wrench neither can it move outwardly on the socket engaging portion I3 of the wrench due to the presence of the split clamp ring I5. The socket engaging portion I3 of the wrench is provided with a spring pressed ball 20 positioned partly therein which is customary in such constructions and which enables this portion of the device to lock to an extension or the actual socket engaging the nut or bolt to which the wrench is applied.

It will be observed that at such time as the wrench incorporating the manipulating disc I6 is affixed to a nut or bolt receiving socket (not shown) the same may be revolved as in initially positioning a bolt or nut by the simple expedient of moving the thumb and forefinger of the hand holding the wrench. When the nut or bolt has been turned up to relatively tight position, the handle ID of the wrench may then be employed in the actual tightening operation. The advantage of this attachment for snap-on type wrenches is readily seen when it is considered that a majority of the revolutions of a nut or bolt being afiixed or removed are those in which the nut or bolt travels relatively freely before it is either tensioned or after .it is un'loosened, as the case may be. During this time of operation it is often inconvenient and sometimes impossible to rotate I the handle [0 of the wrench to obtain this necessary action. The present inventionapplied to the snap-on type wrench enables this motion to be readily imparted to the socket engaging portion of the Wrench by convenient finger manipulation. The invention may be easily practiced by being formed either upon wrenches in the time of manufacture or added to thewrenches already manufactered by simply replacing the socket engaging portion 14 with a slightly longer section including: the manipul-ating-dis c 16-.

Having thus described my invention," what I claimis:

An attachment torasecket wrench having a head and .a non-circular socket engaging membe]: rotatable therein and comprising a manipulating disc having a recess termed in one face of said-ndisc and a through opening in said disc comengage the said socket engaging member, the said manipulating disc being of a diameter larger than the greatest width. of the wrench to which it is applied.

EARL L. DECK.

REFERENCES CITED Thewfollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED' STATES PATENTS Number Name Date,

145,399 Colbert v Dec. '9, 18.73 679,929 Webster .V- Aug. '6, 1901 "721,153 King .V 'May 5,v 1903 791,599 'Aboit; v t k June, 6,, 1905 1,305,249 Buck June 3,. 191.9. 1,622,192 Einkle Mar. 22,, 192'?" 1,628g467 Mandl May 10,1927. 

